Skip to main content

Changed for Good



Even before quarantine made our world a good bit smaller, many of us lived fairly sheltered lives in Columbia/HoCo. We often live in neighborhoods with folks more or less like us, work with people like ourselves. More and more our children go to school with children who are more alike than different.  Even our places of worship can be islands of homogeneity. Our self-selected social media communities reflect that sameness.

Your individual case may differ. I know I am generalizing. And for those of you who say, “that’s not what Columbia is all about,” well, yes. I know that.

As long as we keep ourselves separate from people who are different we lack the life experiences and perspective to truly value them as part of our community. Ignorance, and the fear that comes with it, is what leads to “othering” and avoidance.

Right now in Columbia/HoCo there is an army of volunteers organized by founder Erika Strauss Chavarria to provide for families in crisis through Columbia Community Care. I have been wondering if this experience may bring about a change for those participating. Assisting families day after day, whether at a center or by shopping and delivering to those who aren’t able to get out, has put them in direct contact with people they might not ordinarily see. 

What happens when people who were once invisible to you become visible? When they become vividly human and not just an abstract concept?

I wonder.

I wonder if a charitable venture, created as a response to overwhelming need, may also be a changing force for those who are giving and working. Could their participation be a turning point in how they understand vulnerable groups in our community? 

Charitable activities can sometimes be associated with a sort of benevolent superiority which renders the recipients inherently unequal. I don’t get that feeling from Columbia Community Care. That’s why I think that it has become one of the best catalysts for community transformation in Howard County.  The website states:

Finding a common purpose in our shared humanity.

This could truly change things people. For the better. 

For more information about Columbia Community Care, visit their website .




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more